>> yeah, yeah. what are you doing after the show tonight? you are one hunk. brenda: just when i think we could go no lower. you know what? the real centerfold of the cost of freedom up next. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] neil: the door was closed, but it was open season on tea party protesters, and it came from the last guy who tried to bust open the door to government-run healthcare. former president bill clinton reportedly telling democratic senators behind that closed door that the reason the tea baggers are so inflamed is because we are winning. really? hi, everyone, and welcome. i'm neil cavuto. glad to have you. so they're winning. let's get reaction from ben stein, charles payne, dagen mcdowell, adam lishinsky. charles, they're winning. >> i don't know. i don't know what he's looking

at to determine that. it certainly looks like the tea baggers, if you want to call them that, the pea parties, the grass roots movement, it really looks lithes winning, because that new jersey and gubernatorial vecht riis were huge. he's got a point. people are upset. they're upset what they're saying, their individual rights are being taken away, contract law has been thrown out the window. they're afraid of redistribution of their hard work. they are really, really upset. he got that part right, but he got the part about winning wrong. neil: but dagen, part of what he was saying, whether you believe the winning part or not, just to be on the safe side, guys, try to get this done before the break, because you might have to contend with these guys. >> right. and you got to worry about the elections next year as well. winning is defined by massive amounts of deficit spending, well, mr. president, you'd get a blue ribbon. what people are really upset about is a sinking dollar and the sinkhole, the bigger sinkhole that this government is creating for the american people. they look at -- ok, we're

creating another entitlement when we've got a $37 trillion hole with just medicare right now, benefits promised that we can't even pay for. that's what people are upset about. neil: ben stein? >> well, i think, first of all, president clinton's rationale is extremely infantile. to say that the other side is upset because we're winning doesn't really explain anything about the rightness or wrongness or the sense or bad sense of the policy in question. this happens to be a policy aimed at social control. this is a policy aimed at government control over the people's lives in the united states of america. the tea baggers are protesters -- or tea party yers, rather, are protesting about government seizing a huge chunk of the american economy and imposing near dictatorial controls. and by the way, i don't think the death panel thing is quite as far-fetched as a lot of commentators are saying. when the exchanges are put in, when the insurance exchanges are put in in states, that is going to allow a certain kind of almost death panel-like

chrome by bureaucrats. so i don't think president clinton is on the right track here, although i do admire him a lot in terms of his taste in women in arkansas, but i do not think that he's barking up the right tree here. neil: now, now, now, now. adam, one of the issues i want to raise with you, again, regardless of what he said about tea partiers and all, is his thinking and is the democratic leadership's thinking, look, we don't want to run into the bus that we ran into surg the during when we would go home for a break when we had all these town hall protesters, we don't want that. so the better part of valor might be to get this thing done now before the break, because regardless of what you think of those protesters, you don't want it all over again. what do you think of that? >> well, what's interesting, what's so interesting about president clinton is that regardless what you think of him, nobody really challenges his political skills or his political instincts. his friends and means a lot agree when he talks about politics, he knows exactly what he's talking about. and i think he's a good person to attack the tea partiers,

balls the american people know that these people are poorly behaved, use all -- neil: whoa, whoa, whoa. they're all poorly behaved? let's -- i went out to one of these events in sacramento. and they weren't all churlish and poorly behaved. you know, that's what just bugs me, where we just throw the whole group and say, ah, you're all nuts. >> this is a game of politics, neil, and my point is that president clinton is a good one to go after them, because it's a political game. he can get -- you know, he can get his message out by saying these people people are upset because we're going to pass legislation. that's what he meant by wing. and it looks like the democrats are going to pass legislation. >> well, i got to tell you within thing, too. i spoke at two tea parties this year. what you know? these are real americans who are sincerely worried about what's going on. and, you know, the way they've been painted as racist or angry

or people carrying guns, it's just so incorrect. these are some really beautiful, nice people who are afraid of what's happening to the country. and i got to also tell you -- >> these are people. >> real quick, ben, i do find it interesting that bill clinton, the same guy who tried to push through healthcare reform, that ended up triggering the g.o.p. revolution of 1994 would even want to say anything at this time, because it looks like history is going to repeat itself talking about -- neil: well, it did have sort of an a.a. meeting feel to, it don't repeat sins. >> well, he sees what's happening and he needs to get it through. neil: go ahead, ben. >> i was going say the tea partiers are not churlish. it is not churlish to stand up for the constitution. these people are saying we want constitutional rights. we do not want government taking away our rights. that is not churlish, with all due r. i mean, if you think the policy is right by mr. obama, talk about that, but don't smear people who are standing up for their constitutional rights. >> or stand up right now and say enough with the borrowing.

we need to get our country's fiscal house in order rather than waiting for the day when the countries that are lending money to us say enough, no more, no mas, however you want to put it. neil: well, been i don't understand tea partiers, and adam, it's a point i'll raise with you since everyone was piling on up there, this notion that it's beyond tea partiers who find this upsets, especially if you see the language, and this is a particular line that worried me, because in page after page, in chapter after chapter, there's a sort of little footnote, such sums as may be necessary, which is sort of like a car salesman's way of saying there might be some added feeds here. not to disparage car salesman, for whom i mean no disrrnings but you know what i'm saying? that's an open invitation to a lot more being added on here, right? >> i'm not a parliamentarian, neil. i assume that that is common language in complex pieces of legislation. neil: that's a -- no, no,

that's common language for there's going to be more money. that's what that's common language for. fame a i agree. and i think what's interesting about the point that the president made -- and this was raw politics. president clinton i'm talking about. he said get a bill done, because getting a bill is better than getting no bill. that would be politically disastrous. >> politically, but not financially. that is the problem. that is the financial. nobody is looking out for this country's good health in terms of our finances. it's about what can get me re-elected next year or a few years from now. >> not only that, but -- >> if they get a tpwhill place, they can always manipulate it. once the die is cast, it's like gmac going back for more money, fannie mae going back for more money. once it's established, once they have their hooks in us, they can always grow from there, and clinton does realize that. neil: but ben stein, just to end on this note, what do you make of just the rush nature tv? bill clinton is saying, yeah, we can quibble over public option or whatever, just get it done, done, done, done. >> i think it's a disastrous

idea, this incredibly important piece of legislation is worth deliberating on. i bet you not one out of 100 lawmakers has read the entire bill, and i would bet anything i own that mr. obama has not read that bill. and that scares me to death. neil: that would an lot of stuff if you bet everything you own. >> it would be a lot of stuff. neil: real estate across the globe. zip codes, everything. >> really, neil. neil: when we come back -- nancy pelosi, santa claus, and the grinch. 90s slacker hip-hop. ♪ singer: buckle up, everybody 'cause we're taking a ride ♪ ♪ that can strain your relationships and hurt your pride ♪ ♪ it's the credit roller coaster ♪ ♪ and as you can see it kinda bites! ♪ ♪ so sing the lyrics with me: ♪ when your debt goes up your score goes down ♪ ♪ when you pay a little off it goes the other way 'round ♪

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"cavuto on business" right here on fox news channel, the most powerful name in news. >> i'm confident, i'm hopeful that we will have a bill as a christmas present to the american people. neil: wrbling that's nice that nancy would love that. and by the way, the bill is 2349 mail. a christmas present, and guess who's paying for t. i always thought the idea of giving someone a gift is you paid for it, but the resip yet does. it's a little weird. i'm autopsy this is the equivalent of the democrats coming to your house, stealing your credit card, buying gifts for people you don't even know, and then egging your house to boot. because it's going to hit in americans -- neil: it's like in-laws.

>> my kind of christmas. but it's going to hit many americans with the tax on earnings, 5.4%. that would include many small businesses, and 8% hit on businesses, many small businesses that don't provide health insurance. so again, it is hitting people, and it's also going to -- who will pay for, it but not get anything in return, because it's not going to bring down healthcare costs. but then also, it just doesn't -- the numbers just don't add up at all. neil: but i'm wondering, charles, they like this theme of gifts. remember when hillary clinton, when she was running for president, she had that christmas package thing, healthcare, and she's done all this, we're showing it right here, and it was like, oh, these are all for the american people. left out of that is the fact that we're paying for all of these gifts. >> yeah, the gift and also the notion that people deserve stuff. they always say that, too. you deserve it. we're going to get it for you, because you deserve it. it is a gift, though. if you don't and you don't of the to work, all you have to do

is keep giving them votes. it's going to be real comfortable existence for those type of people. but it's ain't gift for people who do work, and most americans, it's not a gift. neil: but ben stein, we're told when it comes to healthcare, the only ones who are going to pay for this particular gift, .3% of americans who are going to be paying this 5% healthcare surtax. do you buy that? >> well, i -- i -- i don't know what to say in case any of us will be having to pay that. we'd feel pretty damn angry about it. and i would say, look, they didn't need to do the whole thing. the whole thing was just an exercise in social control and control over the american people. it has very little to do with healthcare, just like cap and trade, it has very little to do with the environment t. has to do with a certain socialist, extreme leftist wing of the democratic party wanting to take over the lives of americans and making well-to-do, hard working people -- and you can't imagine how

hard i work -- pay for t. it is taking, as charles and dagen said, it's taking from those who work like mad men and those who don't work as hard in exchange for their votes. for the majority, it is taking from those who work like maniacs and giving to those who don't. neil: adam, are you trouble that had despite the fact up to the help more people that we keep hitting up the same group? by the end of the trading week, it was harry reid talking about a medicare surtax, right? and it's always back to this group, strip them of their benefits, limit their deductions, have them pay a surtax, states will go back and have them pay a surtax on top of surtax. i mean, we keep hitting up the same guy. when charles and i go back out, everyone hits him up. it's another round on charles, another round on charles. charles leaves without anything in his wallet. event wall you got to stop hitting up charles, don't you? >> well, charles and ben are two of my favorite rich guys, and i don't feel particularly

sorry for them because they can take, it balls they're going to keep doing -- neil: but at what point do you assume they can take it? i mean, when you keep hitting the same person again, there's no money left in charles' wallet or ben else wall snet >> well, i'll make a prediction. we're not going get to 90% effective tax rate on rich people in this country. we have then there before. i don't think we'll get there again. it's not our political philosophy. to get to the issue of philosophy, it's so interesting to member. we're talking about the our government is going to give us a gift and we're going to pay for t. but we are the government. this is what our government is doing for us. it's what we elected them to do. we can disagree with that. but it's completely unfair, unkind, and silly, ben, to say that this is about social control. it's about extending health insurance to more people than those who currently have it now. >> no, no, not at all, with all due respect w. all due respect, sense you called me silly, it's been probably not since fourth grade that anyone has called me silly, but i like the memory. >> no, i'd never call you

silly, ben. >> but here's what it's about. you could have -- the government could have just written out checks to all these people who don't have health insurance and said, up guys go buy health insurance and now you're all covered, everybody in america is covered. instead of doing that, they had to put their big, greasy hands into the whole machinery of america, zrue up everything in medicare, screw up everything in terms of doctors making decisions between patients and doctors. they had to do that instead of just doing the simple thing, and they did that so the government could have social control over america, just like they're doing it. >> and that's the egging of the house that i was talking about. neil: oh, now i'm getting it, ok. all right, when we come back -- >> and i am one of your favorite rich people. neil: or at least a target. forget about meshes getting a christmas present. steve forbes it says unions are the only ones who will be getting the real goodies from this healthcare bill. he's at the top of the hour. coming up next, ben stein, global warming, and a power

neil: this is what will happen if the climate bill moving through washington doesn't get passed. but seriously, a new report says that the climate bill would give the president new power to deal with so-called climate emergencies. ben, you don't like the sound of that. why not? >> well, look, the government is exerting control on a scale

that no one would have believed possible even a few months ago. this new role that the e.p.a. is going to be able to control everything that emits carbon dioxide means everything -- that means up and me, we emit carbon dioxide. it means the government can control every aspect of our lives. there is nothing that they cannot control now rpped the guise of protecting us from global warming, which, it turns out, is very questionable in and of itself. this is a scary idea. this is marcism only with environmentalism instead of social equality. there is no limit on the government's power if they get this environmental nonsense crammed down our heads. neil: and adam, when you have the president going to copenhagen pretty soon, not to pitch the olympics, but to now trying to get this new global climate bill going, the talk is he's going to go along with it. what do you make of it? >> well, the provision that ben's talking about gives the president certain powers if there's a certain level of

world emission is hit and that level is very near, which is what people are concerned about. i think congress is being foolish here. the language should require the president to come back to congress before doing these types of things. that would be the simple fix for this. >> oh, that's going to make everything feel so much better. neil: why, because you think they would just be rubber stamped? >> absolutely. and people who think that power can't be abused, whether it's in the presidency or in congress, they're fooling themselves. >> they're dreaming. >> but ben was talking about the e.p.a., but even with cap and trade, what is dangerous there is you give lawmakers the power of playing favorites among industries, among companies, and you see how people are upset about it. again, you earlier mentioned the gubernatorial election in virginia. those coal miners in southwestern virginia went for the republican, which was very, very rare. so people are very upset about how this climate regulation is going to play itself out. neil: but obviously wary going

to be -- that is, the united states -- in this role of being the apologist, right? later on in copenhagen, when we have this sort of kyoto followup, and the legislation we're considering back home, the united states is going to have to pay the piper, and we're apparently quite willing to pay. >> you see how much money these third-world countries are demanding from us? i mean, this is going to cost maybe a couple hundred billion. i mean, really, if everybody gets what they want, they're making a somali pirates look like punks. oh, what you do? you got a ship? watch what we're going to do next. to play along with your game, you know, $40 billion, i mean, the amount of money that the rest of the world is going to demand from america because america had the industrial revolution, they had a 100-year head start. so for them to play this game with us, we're going to have to fork over a lot of money. it's just mind-boggling for this control that ben's talking about, how much it's going to cost the average american. neil: but you know, people are numb that these numbers, ben.

people say, well, isn't healthcare costing a trillion, right? >> it's amazing, it's amazing, once the government starts raising taxes, i'm sure that's on next year's agenda. they're already going to raise taxes on people like and you merks but they're going to raise taxes on everybody in the middle class very, very soon. i'm more worried about social control. i went into my grosh store in a few weeks ago, those fluorescent lights give me a scommake makes me sick. i can't believe it's in my best interest to tell me what kind of light bulb i have, and they're soon to regulate -- in malibu, i live -- i live -- neil: with his flip-flops in mall bufmente hey, that's ben stein getting a light bulb, and looks pissed. that would be kind of cool. all right, we are going to come -- >> i live in another town. neil: i know. sorry for my language. christmas presents from our@

neil: forget nancy pelosi's christmas prefpblet our own gang has stocked gifts to give right back to you. charles, what do you got? >> network equipment for the home businesses. this is a hot industry. i think the stock breaks out to 1, has room to 29. neil: adam, what do you think of that pick? >> i don't like it. this company is a minnow in

cisco's ocean, and i think it's probably going to stay that way. neil: do you have anything bigger than minnows in your ocean? >> much bigger, united technologies. played the con groom golden state -- conglomerate even better than general electric has. it's kind of like owning an index fund, which i know ben loves. neil: what do you think of that, ben? united technology social security sort of an index fund proxy. >> well, i don't believe that anyone on this panel, including me, has the ability to pick stocks, but if you were to pick a stock, that's one of the best ones. that's an unimaginably well run, intelligently run company, run with amazing foresight f. you're going pick a stock, that is a great stock to pick. it's amazingly well run with the. neil: so agree with adam? >> i agree with adam. it's a great pick, but i would pick the spiders. i would pick the index fund. index funds all the time. neil: earlier admission was really like a fox news alert. tharls, what do you think? >> i want people in the market, because all the thi